Zelda's Obsession
by LamiaDusk
Summary: Sidestory to Another Life Zelda is in love with Link. It has always been this way, through all of their incarnations. But this time, he has fallen for someone else...


Princess Zelda stepped into her garden, her tiny refuge in the midst of politics and etiquette. This place had been hers and only hers for as long as she could remember.

She recalled a time where she sat on the stairs leading to the platform and imagined blonde children playing inbetween the flowers. Children with striking blue eyes, not light blue like hers, but darker, deeper.

Eyes like Link's.

She waved her hand as if to shoo away the thought. This hope of hers had been crushed. Maybe it just wasn't supposed to be. They lived in different worlds… and as heir to the throne, she had to marry someone who could find peace living in the castle and taking care of royal business. Something which Link probably wouldn't have been. She had made peace with the fact that they couldn't be together a long time ago.

But then why did it hurt so much?

She exactly remembered the moment her heart broke. Link had come to visit her, to have some tea and exchange news with her. And then he had so casually mentioned… her.

She had almost dropped her teacup in shock when Link so casually mentioned having a „girlfriend". Then he had gleefully told her about their first encounter, and how he adored that other girl. That… Rebecca.

She had wanted to scream at him to get out of her sight. But she could never direct such harsh words at him. So, as calmly as she could muster, she asked him to bring his „girlfriend" to the castle for some tea… and questioning, though she hadn't mentioned that last part.

If this woman believed that she could take Link for herself without scrutiny, she was wrong.

And then he had brought her. This plain-looking, wide-eyed girl that despite being about as old as Link, looked more like a child. For a moment, she had pitied her for not knowing what she was getting herself into. And maybe Link getting married and settling down wasn't the worst idea. Maybe she could get him out of her head then. So she had insisted they get married soon… consequences be damned.

But even now that Link's wedding had come and gone, she felt the old longing tugging in her chest. If only she could have been the bride on Link's wedding day… It would have been a big ceremony, with the entire social elite of Hyrule attending, and everyone cheering for their new king.

Still, she would be nice to Link's wife. Treat her like one would treat a small puppy crawling around one's feet… tread carefully and give the occasional pat, but otherwise pay no mind to it. Hopefully Link wouldn't bring her along to his visits too often.

Had he really not noticed how Zelda's heart shattered?

She walked circles around the garden, staring at the walls as if they could give her the answers she sought. But they were silent, leaving her alone.

„We could have been happy. We could have made it work", she mumbled to herself, sitting down on the stairs again. Tears were stinging in her eyes, but never quite made it down her cheeks. How long had it been since she had forbidden herself to cry?

A queen doesn't cry, she told herself, trying to ignore the stinging in her eyes. A queen shows no weakness.

Just as she was about to get up again, she heard footsteps approaching. And there she was.

Zelda did not know what had possessed Rebecca to come her. Wasn't it enough to steal her beloved? Did she have to desecrate her private sanctuary with her presence, as well?

Though, given that Rebecca did not know the castle and its gardens very well, she had probably stumbled to this place on accident. At least so it seemed, for when she realized where she was, she turned around to leave.

„Rebecca." Zelda did not know why she called for the girl. Maybe it was the internal wish to talk to her, to understand who she was and maybe put her constant concerns to rest.

Rebecca turned around to her and curtsied clumsily, face flushed with embarrassment… or perhaps the chilly wind. „My apologies, Your Highness. I accidentally ended up here while taking a walk. I did not mean to bother you."

Zelda patted the stairs next to her. „Come. Sit with me." We have a lot to discuss, she added mentally.

And Rebecca did. Of course, after all, who would dare to refuse a request from the Princess?

For a while, they spoke only of insignificant things. Pretty flowers, what Zelda was doing in the garden, and then Rebecca's health.

Zelda's heart dropped into her stomach when the other woman revealed that she was pregnant. Her eyes dropped to Rebecca's belly, as if she could already see the bulge of the growing life.

She did not want to resent her for this. And strangely enough, she felt no resentment when Rebecca told her of her fears regarding the situation… and bringing a child into such troubled times.

For the first time, Zelda felt something close to affection for the other woman. She had never asked for this; and yet here she was, carrying the child of a man who had made danger his line of work.

So she put her hand on Rebecca's shoulder, silently asking the Goddesses:

_Is this some kind of sick game you are playing with all of us? _


End file.
